Various techniques and devices exist that can produce tapered structures, such as cones or frusto-conical structures. One general approach to constructing tapered structures involves bending or otherwise deforming metal stock in desired ways, then joining the stock either to itself at certain points, or joining the stock to other structures at certain points. The control systems for such techniques do not facilitate the substantially continuous and accurate construction of a tapered structure, for example, a tapered structure for use as a wind turbine tower.
Spiral welding machines exist that form continuous diameter tubes, for example, for pipes and the like. These machines may include control systems where an operator adjusts a parameter of the spiral welding machine based on a measurement of the tube diameter. However, the manufacture of a tapered structure has additional difficult-to-control degrees of freedom and hence there exists a need for a control system and method for tapered structure construction where the machinery for forming tapered structures is adjusted continuously and automatically to create a substantially error free tapered structure.